Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a lot of things in NASCAR. He is a stellar driver, owning 26 Cup Series race victories, including a pair of Daytona 500 wins. He is a fifteen-time Most Popular Driver Award winner. Dale Jr. is a podcast host, and also the co-owner of a highly successful Xfinity Series team. But you probably did not know this about the veteran racer – Dale Jr. is also an artist.

Yes, you read that right! We never knew about this hidden creative side of Dale Earnhardt Jr. until recently. Mark Martin was a 20-time winner at the American Speed Association’s short-track races. He remembers a souvenir from that past dearly, and Dale Jr. helped refresh his memories.

Artist Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets an offer

Mark Martin is known as ‘the greatest driver to never win a championship’, and quite aptly so. Besides his 40-race win on NASCAR’s premier level, Martin also carved a name for himself among short-track racing legends. In 1987, he picked up a dominating victory at Martinsville Speedway’s fall classic, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. And he used a sweet ride for this win – the Dillon Mark 2 Chassis. It was Bobby Moon’s car, but Martin designed it for his race. The Martinsville race earned fame for its craziness, featuring blood-boiling conflicts and wrecks. Among the fans who were mesmerized by this spectacle was a young Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Mark Martin posted an old picture of the snazzy ride on Facebook recently. He wrote, “1981: one of the baddest ass race cars of the century. Dillon Mark2 Chassis. Prototype racing engines.” This post garnered a lot of attention from diehard NASCAR fans, many of whom tried to draw the beauty down to its bright blue and orange colors.

However, what Martin did not expect was a similar response from another NASCAR legend – Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Intimidator’s son had made a fabulous artistic recreation of Martin’s favorite car when he was a kid, almost 40 years ago. Martin saw it and immediately gave an offer to artist Dale Jr.: “Amazing artistry @DaleJr I think I will have it blown up to put on my shop wall.”

What makes this more iconic is the spine-chilling story behind Mark Martin’s car. He battled with tough rivals at the Martinsville race, like Barry Beggarly, a two-time winner of the Autumn highlight. Martin recalled how the two clashed, as Beggarly “got ahead of me on the start of the race and I was trying to get by him and I got under him and, in the middle of one and two, he chopped down coming off the corner and we came together.” In the process, Martin injured Beggarly’s car, which was owned by William Johnson. Johnson and his men became rowdy after the race, and one was seen wielding a large knife. Martin was scared for his life after the race.

Eventually, though, Mark Martin’s car became a historical icon. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s teen drawing interests are also evident even today.

Dale Jr. loves history

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Well, NASCAR rests on a rich history of stock car racing. The first race was held at Daytona International Speedway back in 1949. And incidentally, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is also a history buff. He resuscitates long-forgotten speedways or moments of NASCAR on his “Lost Speedways” show. The Dale Jr. Download podcast also ropes in old veterans of the sport to share their timeless stories. Additionally, Dale Jr. is also a connoisseur of a NASCAR Hall of Fame exhibit. ‘Dale Jr.: Glory Road of Champions’ features a collection of 18 premier series championship cars from 15 drivers.

These individuals include the seven-time Cup Series champions – Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, and Jimmie Johnson. Dale Jr. worked as the guest curator of this fascinating exhibit. He even brainstormed the theme and personally selected the 18 rides. Besides this interest, Dale Jr. also owns an enticing collection of vintage race cars. These include some classics, like the #8 Goodwrench Chevy Nova driven by Dale Earnhardt Sr. between 1984 and 1988. The first car that Dale Jr. ever owned was the 1988 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, and a replica of that rests in his collection. Then the 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass also features in this collection.

Evidently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin belong to the same crop of car-loving enthusiasts. Martin’s picture and Dale Jr.’s drawing give us a glimpse into NASCAR’s rich past.